Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LM Ultracold Atoms and Quantum Gases
School	Physics and Astronomy
Department	Physics & Astronomy
Module Code	03 30033
Module Lead	Giovanni Barontini
Level	Masters Level
Credits	10
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	03 23559 LH Atomic Physics is strongly advised; 03 00498 LH Quantum Mechanics 3 is also advised
Contact Hours	Lecture-24 hours Guided independent study-76 hours Total: 100 hours
Exclusions
Description	At temperatures close to absolute zero, classical mechanics ceases to be valid and the motion of particles is solely governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, which even allow matter to exhibit a wave-particle duality. To access the ultracold realm tremendous progress has been made in the last three decades and nowadays the field of cold and ultracold atoms is one of the most flourishing in physics. Striking results such as the Bose-Einstein condensation and the superfluid-Mott insulator transition have been achieved, promoting exciting applications particularly in the fields of quantum simulation, quantum computation and sensing. Due to their extraordinary properties, cold atoms systems are also at the core of the emerging quantum technologies, which are attracting huge national and international interest. This module reviews the key concepts and techniques in modern cold and ultracold atoms physics, and also presents research highlights, with a particular focus on the topics in which the School is active. We will see how laser light can be used to cool and trap atoms and how, with the help of magnetic or dipole traps, it is possible to achieve the lowest temperatures in the Universe, just a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero. We will study the extraordinary properties of quantum gases including Bose-Einstein condensates and Fermi degenerate gases. Finally, we will see how ultracold atoms are being used to develop next-generation technologies. The topics covered include: basic elements of light-matter interaction; laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms; magneto-optical trapping; evaporative cooling; quantum degeneracy: the Bose-Einstein condensate and the Fermi gas; superfluidity of Bose-Einstein condensates; optical lattices; quantum technology: atom clocks, atom interferometry, cavity quantum electrodynamics.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Describe the hyperfine structure of the Hydrogen atom and of the Alkali atoms Describe effectively the light-matter interaction using the Bloch sphere formalism and be familiar with the concepts of Rabi oscillations and Ramsey sequence Describe the thermodynamic and the kinetic theory of a gas, and use these to determine the thermodynamic properties of gases in the vicinity of the absolute zero Describe how laser light is used to cool atomic ensembles, and explain the concepts of Doppler limit and recoil limit Implement magnetic and dipole traps for neutral atoms and be familiar with the “dressed state” formalism. Explain how to combine laser cooling and magnetic trapping Understand the evaporative cooling of trapped atomic gases and the atomic collisions in the ultracold regime Make, probe and understand quantum degenerate gases: Bose-Einstein condensates and degenerate Fermi gases. Have detailed knowledge the non-linear Schroedinger equation that effectively describes the superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate and its excitations, from solitons to vortices Create optical lattices for quantum gases and be familiar with the Bose-Hubbard model Explain the basic concepts of atom optics and apply them to atom interferometers Describe the working principles of modern atom clocks and of atoms in optical cavities
Assessment	30033-01 : Exam : Exam (Centrally Timetabled) - Written Unseen (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 2 hour Examination (100%)
Other
Reading List